Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-San - Episode 9 - [Review]
By: v.o.lynn
Sometimes Ramen Daisuki Koizumi-san falls flat, but other times, it delivers.This week, Koizumi share proper cooking technique for on-the-go hiking, indirectly challenges Misa’s brother to an eating competition, and shares a guilty pleasure with Misa. This episode has a lot of warm visuals and the whole thing goes down quite smoothly, despite the subchapter titles like "back fat".[Spoilers Below!]
Part 1 – Mountain
Koizumi spends the first part of the episode being transposed against mountainscapes and hiking views as we follow her up a mountain to try her favorite treat. If anyone is surprised by this at this point, you are watching the wrong show: I’m sorry, it was always going to be a Ramen shop at the top of the mountain. The views are pretty gorgeous, though!
Part 2 – Pork Guy
Kenta is determined not to let a pork ramen bowl beat him. With a determined face, recalls the teasing of his friends as he ultimately failed to make a dent in his Buta Yoru. While neither of his friends had completely cleared the bowl, his was still a mound of ramen.
With the desire to make round two stick, he mentally pits himself against the recently-arrived Koizumi-san in an unspoken match of eating ramen. Kenta is Misa's little brother, and while he doesn't share the same rapport with Koizumi as his older sister, he certainly does hold her in pretty high respect once the meal is done.
Part 3 – Back Fat
When Misa runs into Koizumi – literally – while exercising, Misa begs the titular ramen fan to share why she has been practically glowing. Misa has been on a private diet, but Koizumi’s guilty pleasure – a thick ramen with additional fat added to the broth at the end – proved to be too much for her to say no to after the first bite. The smooth jazz over the first bowl is delightful as well.
I do appreciate the episodes balancing out Koizumi’s time after we recently had the very Yuu/Koizumi-focused “trip through Japan” last episode. The ramen tips at the top of the episode are fun, and Misa's eventual fall from dieting grace at the end make it exactly what you expect: episodic, slice of life, with a hint of warmth and humanity.